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The Deathless
Overview The Deathless, officially Deathless Conflict Solutions (DCS), are a Private Military Company (PMC) based on Koschei. They were founded during The Blood Eagle's reign from Aquilan defectors and corporate magnates Background As the original members of The Deathless were of mostly Slavic and French origin, their traditions and culture are mainly inspired by their predecessors’, although the organization is now multicultural. Philosophy As a mercenary group, The Deathless do not justify their acts of violence by anything else than the parameters of their contracts. Unlike House Aquila, they are not beholden to an ideal of serving the Throne or The Empire and therefore have no inherent loyalty to any particular House or Corporation other than their own. They also disregard the idea of birthright, in The Deathless your origins don’t matter as long as you are able to do the job you are tasked to do and you do it well. It is a saying among The Deathless that “A Soldier is A Soldier”. Because of this some of the nobility, mainly among House Aquila, have little respect for the mercenary group. Relationship with The Empire Since they are based on Koschei, a planet on the fringe of Imperial jurisdiction, members of Deathless Conflict Solutions aren’t completely subject to Imperial Law, nor are they fully protected by it. The Deathless keep professional if not good relationship with the nobility, as they are Deathless Conflict Solutions’ main contractors. The PMC has proven to be an effective tool to use when settling disputes violently without breaking the Formal Agreement for Noble Grievances or having to call upon House Reticulum. Joining The Deathless When they join The Deathless, new recruits are offered to take a new identity, or parts of one, if they so desire. This new identity is traditionally a name of a fallen Deathless operative, thus keeping the image that the Deathless never truly die. This results in Deathless employees having Russo-French sounding names, even though DCS is multicultural now. If a recruit comes from an Imperial world or system, they have to rescind their Imperial citizenship or title of nobility if that is the case. If someone joins the Deathless officially, there is a public ceremony presided by a priest of the recruit’s faith where that recruit burns something that represents their past allegiances. This could be a noble house’s banner if one is a noble, or maybe even a memento from their homeworld. This tradition is very much a formality however, since The Deathless are not obliged to follow Imperial law. If Deathless recruits wish to join more discreetly, they are not obliged to take part in the ceremony and are given a new name and identity. Anyone can join Deathless Conflict Solutions, they do not discriminate when it comes to joining them. It doesn’t matter to The Deathless if you’re a disgraced noble, a wanted criminal or some farmer boy, A Soldier is A soldier. Camaraderie and Traditions Units in The Deathless tend to become very tight-knit groups, as they traverse extreme situations and hardships together. This leads to little protocol when officers, enlisted and corporate members gather together in Deathless messes to have a drink. There are also inter unit rivalries that have developed over the many years of Deathless history. As such, a few nights in the mess end up in friendly brawls. Although it isn’t condoned by Deathless regulations, leadership usually takes little action to stop them unless it gets too heated. The Deathless have many activities that boost camaraderie, such as Deathless Roulette (mostly non-lethal), President Stories night, and a yearly Intra-Mural Mech Tournament, a prime event on Koschei. Deathless Vodka According to Deathless stories, soldiers in the original Unnamed unit started using their morale vodka rations as a multi-purpose fluid during the War for Human Prosperity. Reportedly putting combat stimulants in them, and even using the containers as weapons in the dire situations. If you believe the stories, that is how Deathless Vodka was started, now established as the official drink of DCS. As a tradition, unorthodox usage of the drink is constantly reported in after-action reports. Deathless Conflict Solutions has developed no regulations concerning the usage of the drink to this date. Members of The Deathless refer to the drink as DVodka. Equipment As most factions do, The Deathless subsidize the production of their equipment to more capable corporations or noble houses. However they heavily modify and customize their equipment to fit with DCS standards, renaming them depending on type. Mech classes The Deathless base their Mech classes on Slavic mythological creatures, like the Indrik Class heavy mech. Ship Classes Deathless ship classes are based on Slavic folklore heroes, like the Morevna-class cruiser/hunter-killer frigate. The Eternal Records The Records is were the names of The Deathless is written and heavily influences their view on death. Hierarchical Structure Separation of Power Organisation in Deathless Conflict Solutions is separated between 2 sides of the corporation which are the Business side and the Operations side. The business side is headed by the Board of Vice-Presidents, who are in charge of non-operational decisions, like marketing, contracts, and Human Resources. Operations is directed by the War Room, a cadre of officers who make the operational decisions, mainly on the disposition and usage of military assets. The two sides are in constant communication with each other to ensure that efficiency is maintained throughout the Company. At the head of The Deathless is the President, who oversees and manages the company. The President The President is a mysterious figure even among The Deathless, their management has traditionally been hands-off, leaving most decision making to the Board and the War Room. The Business The Business side is divided into departments, specializing in one branch of the business. Each department is headed by a Vice-President, who together form the Board of Vice Presidents. Examples include the Department of Finance, Department of Contracts, and the Department of Legal Affairs. The Operations The Operations side of DCS is separated in the fashion of military units and divided by their role in Deathless Operations, examples of such units are: the 1st Orbital Artillery Battalion “Stormbringers”, the 3rd Mechanized Heavy Infantry division, and the 4th Mechanized Heavy artillery “Hellfire” Division. The leaders of each unit make up the Deathless War Command, who lead the armies in battle. The operations side makes the bulk of The Deathless’ numbers. History 2200-2215: The Constellation Project and The War for Human Prosperity Before the Houses were formed, the predecessors of what would later become The Deathless were part of The Constellation Project to colonize Acheron Rho. When the war against the aliens was declared, a unit formed of mostly Slavic and French personnel with military experience was assembled. The name of this original unit is lost to time and the Silence but there is some consensus on their deeds. This unit became instrumental in winning the campaign in what would become the Ragnhil system. During the war, they survived a long and vicious fight on 0004A (later Kerdava, later Koschei) and were instrumental in rooting out the alien resistance. The campaign on 0004A effectively ruined the planet, rendering it almost uninhabitable, but the humans emerged victorious in the end. During the campaign on 0004B (Thorg), encounters with the giant arachnids resembling earth scorpions marked the unit, who took it as their unit’s symbol. 2216: Founding of the Houses and Legio I Scorpio After the Alien Peace Treaties were signed and the Houses formed, the unnamed unit was embedded into House Aquila as a legion - Legio I Scorpio. They retained their Slavic and French cultural roots, not joining the latin-inspired naming and ranks that quickly became prevalent within Aquila itself. As a Legion, they specialized in general warfare, from mechanized infantry to naval engagements. 2216-2665: Mors non nos vincere poteris nōs, ''and the Thorg Board for Tourism Legio I Scorpio's motto, it is latin for “Death cannot vanquish us” in reference to their deeds in the War for Human Prosperity and their deeds after. Over the years during the Imperial Golden Age, the Legio I Scorpio cemented itself as one of House Aquila’s most formidable legions. Their versatility and expertise in the field gained the legion multiple battle honours and prestige within the Imperial legions. At some point during the Golden Age, the Legion started to give new names to recruits who passed their final test to join their ranks. The names given were those of fallen Scorpio soldiers who died in service of The Empire and even earlier, during the War for Human Prosperity. Meanwhile, on Kerdava, a group of wealthy magnates from various bunker-states formed the ''Thorg Board for Tourism, to promote inter-sector travel to Thorg with its exotic megafauna and sprawling flora. These individuals, coming from all sorts of corporate sectors, used their connections to make a hefty profit off of the touristic income, using Kerdava as a staging point for tourists. This allowed Kerdava to flourish, laying the foundation for what would come next. 2665-2791 The Scream and Silence When the Scream hit the sector, it crippled The Empire. On Diomikato, the Scorpio Legion was part of House Aquila's peace-keeping efforts. When Diomikato was rediscovered by Velan explorers, I Legion followed House Aquila in the new Empire. On Kerdava, the future looked grim, the imperial supply lines, vital to Kerdava were completely cut off and no ship could escape the system. To ensure the survival of the populace, the Thorg Board for Tourism used their own impressive fleet of transport ships to transport supplies from the neighboring planet of Thorg. This allowed Kerdava to survive the Silence until they could be rediscovered by Velan explorers. 2804-2901: The First Imperial Civil War When the mild disagreement between the Houses spiraled into a Civil War, the Imperial legions of Aquila found themselves in a bind, on one side they should serve the Emperox. But on the other there were multiple Emperox at the time. Loyal to Aquila, the Scorpio Legion fought on their House’s side, becoming essential to the Aquilan war effort and, by extension, the ascension of the woman who would become The Blood Eagle. On Kerdava the notion of “tourism” was no longer sustainable enough for the Board, and so they looked towards other opportunities. Instead, they changed their focus toward emigration, offering ambitious travelers the chance to start a new life on Thorg, for a price. With the influx of new leaders willing to claim land for themselves, Thorg changed from a relatively stable imperial outpost to a war-torn borderland. 2901-2923: The Blood Eagle and the Start of the Second Imperial Civil War With the reign of The Blood Eagle rapidly devolving into a bloodbath against her enemies, some questioning of their motives and of the value of following the Emperox blindly started to spread in Aquilan legions, especially in Scorpio leadership. Nevertheless, they followed the orders given to them by the Emperox, as it was their duty. 2923: Kerdava and Thorg In the year 2923, the colony world of Thorg used the unstable political climate of The Empire to seize control of the planetary government and declare themselves the rulers of the new High Kingdom of Thorg. The High Kingdom decided to invade the nearby planet Kerdava to make it part of their domain. Not willing to lose another system, the Emperox sent her legions to "liberate" Ragnhil. It took six months before the first legions landed in the Ragnhil system. The liberation of Kerdava was swift, as the High Kingdom held only a token force. Records state that the Thorg soldiers were slaughtered to a man, and the citizens of Kerdava were left to recover for themselves. By the end of 2923, the Aquila legions had moved on to Thorg itself. 2924: "Counter-Insurgency" on Thorg In early 2924, five legions would be deployed on Thorg, taking city after city, kingdom after kingdom, decimating the native forces who would rapidly realize that they stood no chance against the Imperial soldiers. Never engaging in open warfare, the Thorg soldiers would hide deep within their jungles and marshes, harassing Aquila supply lines and flanks with midnight raids. As the rebellion raged on, both forces dwindled until they were left at a standstill. 2928: The Burning of Thorg June to August: The Battle of Isadva Four years after the first landing, the remaining forces of the High Kingdom were holed up in the city of Isadva, capital of Thorg, fighting off the Legions to the best of their ability. Growing tired of trying to fight these “outworld savages”needed the Aquilan commander of the Legions on Thorg made the decision to cut their losses. Their troops needed elsewhere in the sector, the Legate made the call to end the war swiftly. The Battle of Isadva lasted for sixty days, starting in June of 2928 and lasting until August. The battle-hardened Scorpio Legion held the High Kingdom’s forces at bay within the city while the rest of the Aquilan forces lead a mass exodus from the planet. Scorching and ruining the land behind them, the Aquila ships signed Thorg’s death sentence by bombarding the planetary surface from orbit. The Scorpio Legion remained on the planet, laying down their lives in an act of honorable sacrifice for The Empire, this is how Legio I Scorpio is remembered in the Imperial Archives. September: Evacuation of Thorg At the time of the Burning of Thorg, The Thorg Board for Tourism received the news of the Aquilan bombardment. One of their members suggested that they should use their transport ships to evacuate those who could be saved while there was time. Due to a limited number of ships and time before Thorg would become impossible to fly in, the evacuation was limited to the vicinity of Isadva. The ships, landing in various points across the city, recovered the remnants of the Scorpio Legion and the last soldiers of the High Kingdom of Thorg, as well as some surviving civilians. 2932: The Deathless Four years after the Burning of Thorg, a Private Military Company, named The Deathless, accepted a contract from the Council of Noble Houses. The parameters in the contract: Assist the Noble Houses in their fight against the Blood Eagle. Some say that The Deathless are those who were left for dead on Thorg, now looking for revenge against the Emperox that betrayed them, but any Deathless official dismisses it as an unfounded rumour. Coincidentally 2932 is also the year where the Thorg Board for Tourism declared bankruptcy, due to lack of touristic income from the planet. Their members would be found either managing The Deathless or in planetary politics. 2955: The Death of the Blood Eagle After years of bloody civil war in The Empire, the infamous Blood Eagle died. No one truly knows what caused her death anymore, but they agree that this is what put an end to the Second Imperial Civil War. They also agreed that such an event shouldn’t happen again. Since her death is shrouded in mystery, many rumours have sprung from the event. In such an example, some say that the last legate of Legio (number pending) Scorpio, now the President of The Deathless, carried out the assassination themself. Others say that The Deathless led a “suicide” attack on The Blood Eagle’s flagship, in a desperate attempt to kill her. To everyone’s surprise, all members of the Deathless would have survived the mission, bringing The Blood Eagle’s head back to the Council of Noble Houses, to demand payment. However, these are just stories from possibly (definitely) drunk Deathless mercenaries and the truth behind The Blood Eagle’s death might never be found. 2960 - 3177: Deathless Conflict Solutions Early after the Death of The Blood Eagle, the government of the newly-named Koschei, formerly Kerdava, home to the Deathless, offered a permanent contract to the company for Law-keeping and planetary defense. This allowed the planet to stay independent from The Empire, their sovereignty assured by the Deathless presence in Ragnhil. With the Formal Accords for Noble Grievances preventing the noble Houses from warring with each other openly, there was a need for easily disposable and disavowable assets to use in their political games, and The Deathless were exactly what was needed. During those years, now under the name of Deathless Conflict Solutions, the company prospered with noble contracts, fighting the noble’s wars for them and gaining a reputation for ruthless efficiency, loyalty to the contract above all else, a slight disdain for Aquilan soldiers, and no apparent moral concerns. During these years, a new recruitment incentive was given to boost Deathless numbers. Upon recruitment, new employees were offered a new identity with no questions asked about the recruit’s prior life. This contributed to the myth, who some say is only a ploy by DCS marketing to get more contracts, that members of The Deathless simply never die. With this policy, they went from one of many mercenary companies to being one of the dominant military powers in the sector. They openly embraced any who would join them as long as they were capable, swelling their ranks even further and solidly becoming a military powerhouse. 3178 - 3200: Deathless in The War Against the Artificials At the beginning of the War Against the Artificials, Deathless Conflict Solutions refused a contract to partake offered to them by House Crux for reasons unknown to all outside of The Deathless. Of course, this refusal has generated a plethora of rumors surrounding the event. Everything from Synth loyalty to lingering resentment towards House Aquila, one of the main proponents of the war, has been blamed. Some speculation has been made that the terms of the contract weren't very good and that the Deathless feared yet another noble betrayal, but such claims are often overlooked in favor of more exciting theories. As a result, their relationship with House Crux has been strained to say the least. When asked about Deathless Conflict Solutions’ position on the synthetic menace, a Public Relations representative has released this statement: “Even if we are operating outside of Imperial law, We at Deathless Conflict Solutions have terminated all of our synthetic-based assets and will refrain from hiring known synthetics from now on and report those to the appropriate authorities, all our members are evaluated following Crux-approved protocols to determine whether a candidate is of synthetic origin or not. The same applies to House Cygnus remnants, thank you, and have a good day.” Ever since the War Against the Artificials began, the Deathless have been under a significant restructuring, in which they only took minor contracts and consolidated their forces in order to deal with the loss of their synthetic assets. This has resulted in a major drop in company income, but this allowed them to have full operational capabilities by early 3200. Planets The Deathless are established in the Ragnhil system of Acheron Rho, within it are 2 planets where they have an established presence, Koschei and Thorg. As legend would have it, Ragnhil was where the original Deathless Company earned their name and most of their Battle honours during the War for Human Prosperity. Koschei Formerly known as Kerdava, the planet is the homeworld of The Deathless. Over the years, the world has become synonymous with the PMC. This is where DCS Headquarters for Business and Operations is located. Its Atmosphere and biosphere make it an excellent resilience test to The Deathless who reside on it. Thorg To say that this world, populated by tribes ruled over by warlords is a dangerous place to live is to say the least. Officially, traffic to and from Thorg is severely banned by imperial decree but The Deathless, who use it for training and testing purposes, regularly ignore this law. Category:Factions Category:The Deathless Category:Corporations